Device for increasing the efficiency of firearms and the like



, E. L. GARNIER. v I DEVICE FOR INCREASING THE EFFICIENCY OF FIREAR MSAND THE LIKE.

v ,APPucAnoN FILIED mm. 10. 191p. I} 1,327,545. Patented Jan. 6,1920.

z. ///////u v////////////////fill/471112111415 JMu UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE.

ERNEST LOUIS GARNIER, 0F NElIILLY-SUR-SEINE, FRANCE.

DEVICE FOR INCREASING THE EFFICIENCY OF FIREARMS AND THE LIKE.

App1ica.tion filed March 10, 1919.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ERNEST LOUIS GAR- nrnn, a citizen of the Republic ofFrance, residing at 50 Rue de Longchamp, Neulllysur-Seine, France, haveinvented new and useful Improvements in Devices for In creasing theEfliciency of Firearms and the like, of which the following is aspecification.

The present invention relates to a helical device which is constructedin such a manner as to fit loosely on the extremity of the 0 wlth thedevice according to the present inbarrel of a rifle and to be picked upby the bullet, on the passage of this latter, as it leaves the muzzle ofthe rifle. In this way the helical device is carried away by the bulletand constitutes therefor a sort of t g supposing the device to'havefirst of all been temporary feather, such as is fitted'to' arrows. Theurpo'se of the device is to insure greater efficiency of fire byconsiderably increasing the number of bullets which find the target andthus reducing the number of wasted bullets.

In the accompanying drawing, which represents, purely by way of exampleand in no way limitatively, a device constructed according to theinvention Figure 1 shows, in section, the apparatus fitted to theextremity of the barrel of the rifle, the bullet being on the point ofleaving the muzzle.

Figs. 2, 3 and 4., to a larger scale, are, respectively, a section alongthe line 2-2, Fig. 4:, an end elevation and a plan of the apparatusremoved from the rifle.

Fig. 5 is a section along line 55, in Fig. 2.

Figs. 6, 7 and 8 are views showing the effect produced by a bulletfitted with the device on a target, which, without the device, the saidbullet would have merely grazed without penetrating it, or would havepassed to one side thereof without touching it.

The apparatus consists essentially of a helix with two blades or guidingvanes a of appropriate pitch. The hub of the helix is formed in such amanner as to fit loosely on the extremity of the barrel 0 (Fig. 1) of a.rifle beyond the fore-sight 0 In the interior of the hub 6, whoseexternal or outer orifice (Z is of diameter equal to, or slightlygreater than, the caliber of the rifle, that is to say, the internaldiameter of the barrel 0, there is arranged, concentrically with thesaid orifice, a ring 6, whose Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 6, 1920.

Serial No. 281,720.

internal diameter is slightly less than the interior diameter of thebarrel 0. This ring, which is split or out at two diametrically oppositepoints f, g, is held in place and centered in the interior of thebarrel 1) of the helix by four springs h, which bear against the innerwall of this hub and exercise a strong pressure on the outer walls ofthe two half-rings in such a manner as to hold them firmly one againstthe other at the oints f and g.

T e bullet 2', which is intended to be used fitted to the extremity ofthe barrel 0.

At the moment when, after firing, the bullet i is on the point ofleaving the barrel 0, 'it comes into contact withthe ring 6. As

the internal diameter of this ring is smaller than the external diameterof the bullet z, the two halves of the said ring separate one from theother against the pressure of the springs 70, and at the moment when thegroove 9' in the bullet z arrives opposite the ring e, the two halves ofthis latter enter this groove as they are pressed or forced togetherunder the action of the said springs; this attaches the helix a to thebullet z', which thus carries away with it the helix picked up in thismanner by the bullet in its passage, so that the Whole leaves the barrelof the rifle together.

Under these circumstances, it will be easily understood that a bullet,which, it not fitted with the device according to the invention, wouldmerely graze a target is or would pass it without touching it at adistance from it less than the radius of the helix and would inconsequence be lost, will on the contrary, if fitted with the deviceherein described, be held up by that one of the blades of the helix awhichfirst comes into contact with the target is (Fig. 6). The bullet cbeing thus deflected from its trajectory, will begin to penetrate intothe target (Fig. 7) causing deformation of the blades or vanes of thehelix, which latter bear against the target is without penetrating intoit, after which the bullet i, by virtue of its momentum, leaves thehelix a by pushing apart the two halves of the ring e against the actionof the springs h, --an'd2 penetrates alone" into the target (Fig; 8).

It is therefore evident that the device described above and shown in theaccompanying drawing, b considerably reducing the number of lost ullets,increases to the same extent the efliciency of the rifle for firingpurposes.

It is obvious that the invention is not strictly limited to thearrangements shown inthe accompanying drawing and described above, andthat constructional details could be modified in so far as circumstancesor practical requirements might render such modifications desirable ornecessary.

I claim:

1. In a fire-arm, the combination with a bullet having a tapered noseand provided with an annular groove on its exterior transverse to theaxis of the bullet, of a metal screw propeller having flexiblebladesprovidedwith -ahollow hub detachably conneoted to-the forward endof the bar-rel, the

forward end of 'said hub being partly closed and provided with an-axialopening of greater diameter than the bore of the firearm at the muzzle,a segmental ring housed in said hub between said partly closed end andthe muzzle of the fire-arm, and resilient means for attaching saidsegmental ring to said hub and for causing it to project into engagementwith the periphery of the bullet as it leaves the fire-arm.

2. In a fire-arm, the combination with a bullet having a tapered noseand provided with an annular groove on its exterior transverse to theaxis of the bullet, of a metal screw propeller having flexible bladesprovided with a hollow hub detachably connected to the forward end ofthe barrel, the forward end of said hub being partly closed and providedqvith an axial opening of greater diameter than the bore of the firearmat the muzzle, a segmental ring housed in said hub between said partlyclosed end and the muzzle of the fire-arm, and a series of springsmounted in said hub and pressing inwardly on saidsegmental ring normallyclosing the breaks in said ring and causing it to project inwardlybeyondthe circumferenoe of *thebore of the small arm at its muzzle, butpermitting the nose of the bullet to distend said ring segment againstthe action of said springs; thereby causing said ring segments to snapintoengagement with said groove as the bullet leaves the muzzle of thesmall arm.

In'a -fire-arm, the combination-with a bullet having a tapered nose andprovided with an annulir' groove on its exterior trans verse to the axisof the bullet, of an auxiliary projectile, carried by the small arm atits muzzle, and provided with a hollow hub detachably connected to theforward end of the barrel, the forward end of said hub being partlyclosed and provided with an axial opening of greater diameter than thebore of the fire-armat the muzzle, a segmental ring housed in said hubbetween said partly closed end andthe muzzle of the firearm, andresilient means for attaching said segmental ring to said hub and forcausing it to. project :into engagement with the periphery of the bulletas it leaves the fire-arm.

4. In a fire-arm, the combination with a bullet having a tapered noseand provided with an annular groove on its exterior transverse to theaxis of thebullet,o f an auxiliary projectile, carried bythe small armat its muzzle, and provided witha hollow hub detaehably connected to theforward end of the barrel, the forward end of said hub being partlyclosed and provided with an axial opening of greater diameter than thebore of the fire-arm at the muzzle, a segmental ring housed in said hubbetween said partly closed end and the muzzle of the fire-arm, and aseries of springs mounted in saidhub and pressing inwardly onsaidsegmental ring normally closing the breaks in said ring and causingit to project inwardly beyond the circumference of the bore of the smallarm at its muzzle, but permltting-the nose of the bullet to distend saidring segment against the action of said springs, thereby causing saidring segments to snap intoengagement with said groove as the bulletleaves the muzzle of the small arm.

ERNEST'LOUiS'

